Mine-picker.



J. WALTON.

MINE PICKER.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY I7, 1917.

1352,51. Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

v 3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

\AMYQ I U Q s I l J. WALTON.

MINE PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. 1917.

Patented Jam 8,1918.

INVENTOR J Wklim WITNESSES ATTORNEYS J. WALTON.

MINE PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIT, 1917.

Patented J an, 8, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

I/VVE/VTOR cf M62 0)? By M 3 A TTOR/VE rron.

MINE-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8,1918.

Application filed May 17, 1917. Serial No. 169,207.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES WALTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Phoenicia, in the county of Ulster and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mine-Picker, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip-. tion.

This invention relates to an apparatus which is adapted to be attached to the bow of a boat to project forwardly therefrom so as to serve as means for picking up submarine mines.

The invention has for its general objects to improve the construction and operation of apparatus of this character so as to be reliable and efficient in use, capable of being easily and quickly applied to or removed from a vessel, and so designed as to automatically catch a mine and hold the same from contacting with and destroying the vessel.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a mine catcher embodying a forwardly projecting arm submerged in the water and having gripping jaws at the front which automatically close when they contact with the mine or the anchoring cable thereof, there being suitable means whereby the arm can be raised to enable the catch to be inspected to ascertain whether or not it is a mine, and if it be a mine a float can be attached thereto and the mine allowed to float on the water surface so that the boat can move off to a suitable distance to enable the mine to be destroyed by a shot fired from a gun on the vessel.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an automatic signal device to inform the officer on watch that the jaws of the catcher have been closed by the device being set off by contacting with a mine or other object.

A further object is to provide a novel derrick construction, cables and winding devices whereby the jaw-carrying arm can be moved to and from operative position and whereby the jaws can be readily set to open position.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate certain embodiments of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a side view of the mine catcher in operative position on a vessel, the jawcarrying arm being shown by broken lines in raised position with a submarine mine lifted to the water level;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, with the exception that the pole of the derrick is in section;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with the exception that the jaws on the mine catcher are closed;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 44, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the catcher with the jaw-carrying arm in fully raised position;

FFig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6,

Fig. 7 is a side view of a modified form of derrick; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are detail sectional views respectively on the lines 8-8 and 99, Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawing, A designates an attaching frame, B the derrick, and C the jaw-carrying arm of the mine catcher, the latter being mounted on the frame A, which is applied to the bow and keel of the vessel D, and the derrick B is mounted on the deck.

The frame A is composed of a horizontal keel member 1 and a vertical bow member 2, which are hingedly connected together at 3. Said members are composed of sections 4 united by hinge joints 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, and at these joints are pivoted saddles 6 which engage the keel and bow of the vessel, and the arms of the saddles are con nected by chains 7 which extend upwardly to and pass over pulleys 8 on the gunwale of the vessel, and extend downwardly therefrom to engage with hooks 9 on the deck. A frame constructed in this manner can be easily and quickly applied to a vessel, and when not in use can be folded into comparatively small space.

The derrick B is composed of a standard 10 removably and rotatably mounted in a socket 11 on the deck at the bow, and on the upper end of the standard is a cross me-mher or arm 12 stiffened by a brace 18 eXtend ing from the outer portion of the arm to the standard 10. On the arm 12 are-pulleys 14 which guide a cable 15 for setting the mine catching jaws to open position, said cable 15 being connected with a drum 16 on the deck, so that thecable can be operated. On the standard 10 is a pulley 17 which guides a cable 18 which is connected at 19 with the arm C, so as to control the raising and lowering of the latter by winding the drum 20 to which the cable 18 is connected. If desired, the derrick structure may be foldable or adjustable by being constructed as shown 1n Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive. In this case the standard 10* is composed of upper and lower sections 21 and 22 connected by a hinge leaf'23 whichis fastened to the sec 22 with this leaf 2,3. 41 bolt 26 passes through the section 22 and leaf23 so as to hold the sections 21 and 22 of the standard ri idly in alinement. The bolt 26 serves to fasten a clip 27 to the standard, which clip is connected by a pivot 28 with an adjust.- able brace 29. The upper end of this brace is connected with a collar or clip 30 which is clamped to the derrick arm 12, whereby the latter can be adjusted toany desired position,'said' arm being pivotally connected at 31 with the upper end of the standard.

The mine catching arm C comprises a member which is hinged on a horizontal pivot 83 on the frontof the frame member 1 so that the arm can swing through an arc of approximately ninety degrees from a vertical to a horizontal position. A stop 34 on the frame member 1 limits the downward swinging of the arm C to a horizontal position.. ()n the arm member 32 are a pair of spring bars 35, which, as shown in 2, have hingedly connected to their forward ends at 36, a pair of jaws 37 which have serrations 38. The aw members are hingedl connected togetherby a pivot 39 at the center, which pivot serves to connect the jaws with a longitudinally movable rod which.

extends rearwardly from the jaws and slides in a tubular body 41 fastened to the arm member'32. To the rear end of this rod 40 is connected a cable 42 that passes out of the rear end of the tube 41 and around the guide block 48 fastened to the frame A, and from this guide block the cable passes upwardly over guide pulleys 44 on the vessel deck, and fastened to the rear end of the cable is a weight 45 which operates a signalv adjustable stop 47 whereby the jaws when in open position will. be at an angle to each other with a vertex forward of a deadcenter line passing through the outer hinges 36 of the jaws, in which position the spring bars'35 are under tension, which tends to collapse the jaws forwardly, but this is limited by the stop 47 engaging he adjacent jaw 87. When the open, jaws encounter a mine or other object, the jaws are collapsed from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3. Thisv allows the weight 45 to drop and operate the signal device. This signal device is shown in the present in stance as one or moreielectric bells50 in circuit with a source. of current 51, and a switch contact 52 that isadapted to move into engagement with a contact 53. The .con-. tact or lever 52.is normally in open circuit position, and when the weight 45 drops, the bell circuit is closed so as to give the oflicer on watch a signalthat the jaws of the mine catcher have been closed andthat probably a mine has been caught. Order i s then given to raisethe arm 7C farenough to enable the nature of thecatch to be ascertained.

backwardly, far enough to enable the gun E to be used to destroy the minej From the foregoing description takenin connection with the accompanying, drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily under stood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while 1 have described the principle of operation, together with the apparatus which I now considerjto be the best embodimentthereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and thatsuch changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent: 7 V

1. A mine catcher comprising a frame adapted to be fastened to the bow and keel. of a vessel, an arm hingedly mounted on the frame anchhaving mine-gripping jaws, a derrick adapted to be mounted onthe deck of the vessel, and means guided on thederrick and connectedwith the arm for raising and lowering the same andforoperating the;v aws.v

2. A mine catcher comprising a frame adapted to be fastened to the bow 'andkeel of a vessel, an arm hingedly mounted on the frame and having mine-gripping jaws, a derrick adapted to be mounted on the deck of the vessel, means guided on the derrick and connected with the arm for raising and lowering the same and for operating the jaws, and a signal adapted to be operated when the jaws are closed.

3. The combination of a vessel, with a mine catcher mounted thereon, said catcher comprising a frame fastened to the bow of the vessel, an arm pivotally connected with the frame, toggle link jaws on the arm, a structure on the vessel, cables guided on the structure and connected respectively with the arm and jaws for operating the same, and winding drums on the vessel for operating the cables.

4. The combination of a vessel, with a mine catcher, said catcher comprising an arm, means for mounting the same at the bow of the vessel, said arm embodying a pair of laterally yielding spring bars, jaws hingedly connected with the bars, means on the jaws for holding the same open against the tension of the bars and adapted to permit the jaws to collapse or close rearwardly when they strike a mine, means for operating the arm, and means for resetting the jaws to open position.

5. The combination of a vessel, with a nine catcher comprising a submerged arm having bars yieldable laterally, jaws pivotally connected with the bars adjacent their forward ends, a setting rod, means pivotally connecting the jaws together and the rod to the jaws, means for limiting the movement of the jaws in a forward direction and holding the jaws open against the tension of the bars in a position with the central pivot forward of a line passing through the pivotal connections between the jaws and bars, means connected with the arm for raising and lowering the same, and means connectedwith the rod for operating the same in a direction to set the aws in open position.

6. A mine catching device including a swinging arm, a pair of oppositely yielding members on the arm, jaws hingedly connected with the members and hingedly connected together, a rod connected with the jaws to move the same to open position, interengaging means on the jaws for holding the jaws open under the tension of the said bars, a tube on the member in which the rod slides, a cable connected with the rod and passing through the tubular member, means connected with the cable and tending to pull the same in a direction in which the jaws open, and a signal device operated by the said last-mentioned means.

7. A mine catching device including a swinging arm, a pair of oppositely yielding members on the arm, jaws hingedly connected with the members and hingedly connected together, a rod connected with the jaws to move the same to open position, interengaging means on the jaws for holding the jaws open under the tension of the said bars, a tube on the member in which the rod slides, a cable connected with the rod and passing through the tubular member, means connected with the cable and tending to pull the same in a direction in which the jaws open, a signal device operated by the said lastmentioned means, means connected with the arm for raising and lowering the same, and means connected with the rod to move the same in a direction to set the jaws in open position.

8. The combination of a movable arm, jaws mounted thereon, means for actuating the arm and jaws, and a frame on which the arm is mounted, said frame including how and keel-engaging members.

9. The combination of a movable arm, jaws mounted thereon, means for actuating the arm and jaws, a frame on which the arm is mounted, said frame including members arranged to extend along the keel and bow of a boat, devices on the members for engaging the bow and keel, and cables connected with the devices and adapted to be fastened to the boat to hold the frame in place.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame arranged to engage the keel and bow of a boat, said frame being composed of members formed of hingedly connected sections, whereby the frame can be folded.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame arranged to engage the keel and bow of a boat, said frame being composed of members formed of hingedly connected sections, whereby the frame can be folded, and saddle elements at the hinge joints between the sections.

12. The combination of a vessel, with a mine-catching device comprising a frame, means for fastening the frame to the hull of the vessel, an arm mounted on the frame and having mine-catching jaws, a derrick on the vessel and including a standard and an adjustable arm thereon, cables connected with the arm and jaws, and means on the derrick for guiding the cables.

JAMES WALTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). G. 

